January, 2018 Congregation House of Israel 14 Tevet - 15 Shevat, 5778 Shemot
Thank You We would like to thank the following donors for their contributions (as of December 19, 2017) General Fund The following donations were received in loving memory of Stuart Klompus Anita Bashkowitz Donna Casparian Mark and Patti Fleischner Betty Forshberg Elaine Gartenberg Jean Gershner and Family Urmil Gupta Lynda Kass Sharon Cookie Klompus Don and Rose Pullen Cynthia Rephan Judy and Jack Shaicovitch Eleanor Jacobs Stein Sari and Mel Waxler The following donations were received in loving memory of Mark Spitzer Kristen Barnett Mark and Patti Fleichner Elaine, Terri, Len and Carol Gartenberg Debbi Grubbs Lori Hamilton Betty Hasstedt Steven and Clarissa Kirsch Don and Rose Pullen The following donations were received in loving memory of Lila Chapin Kim and Yossi Baron Mark and Patti Fleischner Elaine Gartenberg Steven and Clarissa Kirsch Mary Klompus Larry and Carol Levi Cynthia Rephan Rachel Schulman Sharon and Michael Waxler The following donations were received in loving memory of Barbara Schlesinger Kim and Yossi Baron Mark and Patti Fleischner Stuart and Kay Fleischner Steven and Clarissa Kirsch Carol and Shelly Kleinman Published monthly by: Congregation House of Israel PO Box 20802 300 Quapaw Hot Springs, AR 71903 (501) 623-5821 Website: http://hschi.org Editor: Shelly Kleinman Webmaster: Shelly Kleinman Editorial Assistance: Anita Williams Email to: info@hschi.org Submissions due the 15th of the prior month. Distributed free to members, prospective members, local clergy and other interested parties. Steven and Clarissa Kirsch In beloved memory of Lynn Kirsch Fred Korngut In beloved memory of his aunt, Katie Fielschmidt Michael and Sharon Waxler In beloved memory of Michael s mother, Bernice Waxler Shep and Myrna Taxer In beloved memory of Shep s mother, Dora Taxer Lynda Kass In beloved memory of her husband, Warner Kass Anonymous A donation was received in honor of Ruth Sedler in gratitude for her services to the congregation Sisterhood Fund Jerry Tanenbaum In beloved memory of Lila Chapin Larry Levi In beloved memory of his mother, Louise Levi Page 2
Davar - A matter for discussion I have always found the Winter Solstice somewhat depressing. That probably came from growing up in Buffalo, where you could count on another four months of wind, cold and snow after December 21. As late as April, we often had to clear snow off the tennis courts in order to play high school matches. Later, I began to see my discontent through a Jewish lens. As many of you know, I adore studying the book of Genesis, which focuses on the personalities of Judaism, and the eternal lessons about human behavior they continue to afford us. The remaining four books of the Bible are more legalistic in content and, being a loyal Reform Jew, I consider them secondary to the awe I continue to experience in the pages of BEREISHIT. Aviva Zornberg, a commentator nonpareil who hails from England, has written commentaries on three books of the Bible. She calls her commentary on Genesis The Beginning of Desire. What a wonderful title. It speaks to the story of Adam and Eve, but also to the convolutions, manipulations, the good and evil perpetrated by our early ancestors. Inevitably, we turn to the pages of Exodus in early January. Thank God, then, for the celebration of our Festival of Lights, Hannukah. Gathering as a community to light the candles, enjoy a religious school skit, to laugh and socialize, all brighten our commemoration of the historic victory of the Maccabees over our enemies. Whether one understands the miracle of the single cruse of oil that burned for eight days as literal or figurative is secondary to recognizing that the upholding of this tradition outweighs scholarly and rational exposition. It simply is a joy to come together as a community and celebrate what we share together. The commitment to Judaism is the basis of it all. With inclusive holiday wishes to our entire community, Life and Legacy Plan For Jews, our religion is more than Shabbat services and holiday celebrations. Being Jewish is a way of life, handed down from generation to generation. It is a legacy. The Life and Legacy Plan is a partnership among CHI, JFAR (Jewish Federation of Arkansas), and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, established to promote a legacy that ensures Jewish tomorrows. It is an opportunity for each of us to make an after-life commitment to CHI and/or our Central Arkansas Jewish Congregations and organizations. There are no minimums and no contracts to sign. Each and every commitment, no matter how small, gets us closer to our goal. Participating in L & L is simple. By signing a Letter of Intent - a pledge- you can make a commitment to leave a future gift to CHI in your Will, Trust, or by beneficiary designation on an IRA, Annuity, life insurance policy, or any other form of afterlife gifting. No money is requested now. A monetary incentive grant from JFAR is underway until March, 2018. If L & L receives 18 new, additional Letters of Intent, CHI will receive a $5,000 gift, to be used in any manner CHI chooses. Recently, CHI received our first $5,000 check, as L & L had obtained 18 Letters in our first year. The L & L team is so close to securing the second, and final, incentive grant, but the deadline is fast approaching. Please contact an L & L team member (Karen Baim Reagler, Sherrill Nicolosi, Stuart Fleischner, and Rabbi Chapin) to learn more about how you, too, can leave a Jewish legacy for the future generations of our community s Jews. Richard and Jeanne Page 3
ARZA - World Union Dear Diaspora What would a letter from Israel to the Diaspora include this past Hanukkah season? The celebration of Hanukkah as we know it today is comprised of traditions that have shifted with the changing circumstances, ideologies and priorities of the Jewish people. The Talmud (Shabbat 21b) first teaches us about the miraculous oil cruise that lasted 8 times its expectancy, and then serves as a manual for candle lighting in the home. Years later, the Zionist movement reinvented the holiday to be one of freedom, heroism and a staunch rejection of divine intervention. The Hanukkah story took place before either Talmudic times or modern Zionism. The original text is found in the Apocryphal Books of Maccabees. Written in Greek, the beginning of the 2nd book is actually a letter from those in Jerusalem to the largest Jewish community outside of Israel in Alexandria, Egypt describing the feast day after the rededication of the Temple. Even in ancient times, the connection between Jews in Israel and those outside the land was central to our national narrative. Today, this holiday affords us an opportunity to rededicate our relationship with Israel. It also allows us to imagine what we would want to read in a modern letter from Israel to the Diaspora, a creative rewriting of the 2nd book: Page 4 Dear Jews of the Diaspora, By now, I m sure you ve heard the news of our triumph in Jerusalem, and that you are celebrating our victory. Here s the thing. We want more than for you to celebrate with us. We also want you to mourn with us when we experience loss. We want you to read our news, speak our language, and for us to be one united people. We also know that it s not always about us. We need to be sensitive to your needs and understand what it s like to be a Jew outside of Israel. We need to understand your challenges, and to know that you are working hard to maintain your institutions and provide for the next generation. We know that it might be time to rethink the Israel-Diaspora relationship, to focus less on your dispersion and more on our connections. Israel is now the largest Jewish community in the world, and there are pressures from some of our leaders to write you off as irrelevant. These leaders are both shortsighted and wrong. We need to realize that we too have what to learn from you. We have come to the conclusion that having a Jewish State doesn t necessarily mean having a Jewish community, and you have built so many thriving and caring communities without government support, we might add. After 70 years it is time that we take some of the criticism to heart, to be introspective and acknowledge when there is legitimacy to these challenges. So, on this festival of Hanukkah let us renew our relationship. Let us find common ground and join together to fight close-mindedness and be a light unto our own nation, In friendship and appreciation, Israelis
From the Board Rabbi Chapin to Retire At a recent meeting of the Board of Directors, Rabbi Chapin announced that after seven years of service he has decided to retire at the end of this season and spend more time with his wife Jeanne at their home in Florida. It s Hanukkah Every Day Of The Year In This Picture- Postcard Italian Town Accordingly, his final day as rabbi of Congregation House of Israel will be June 30, 2018. He will be sorely missed, and on behalf of our entire congregation we wish him and his family the best. It s always Hanukkah in this picturesque town in northern Italy s Piedmont region. Birthdays & Anniversaries January Anniversaries Hal and Sue Koppel Jan 12 Carli and Chris Baker Jan 23 January Birthdays Carol Levi Jan 5 Ross Sedler Jan 8 Sharon Ball Jan 16 Kay Fleischner Jan 27 Jews have lived in Casale Monferrato for more than 500 years, with the community reaching its peak of 850 members at about the time Jews here were granted civil rights in 1848. The town still boasts one of Italy s most ornate synagogues, a rococo gem that dates to the 16th century. These days, only two Jewish families live in Casale. The synagogue, which is part of a larger museum complex, is now a major tourist attraction and not only because of its opulent sanctuary with huge chandeliers, colorfully painted walls and lots of gilding. Hanukkah here is commemorated nonstop with a year-round exhibit featuring dozens of menorahs, or hanukkiyot, created by international contemporary artists. The collection has some 185 menorahs, according to Adriana Ottolenghi, whose husband, Giorgio, has been president of Casale s Jewish community since the 1950s. We receive more every year, and each year at Hanukkah there is a public ceremony, where we light menorahs and welcome the new pieces, she said. Only 30 to 40 can be displayed at a time in the vaulted underground chambers. Many resemble traditional menorahs: a straight line of candles or a candelabra with eight branches, with a ninth branch for the shamash candle used to kindle them. Some of the menorahs can be lighted and used on the holiday. Page 5
Congregation House of Israel Board of Directors Rabbi Richard Chapin 501-623-5821 info@hschi.org Dennis Williams, President 870-230-3529 jwmensch1@gmail.com Hal Koppel, Treasurer 501-525-3238 hjkkrew@yahoo.com Barbara Morgan 501-767-1459 barbara.morgan@mygait.com Millie Baron, Sisterhood 501-538-6619 millie487@hotmail.com Ira Kleinman 501-520-1323 irakleinman@hotmail.com Ruth Sedler 806-789-9362 sedlerlbk@aol.com David D. Reagler 870-208-4495 david@arkansasrecords.com Patti Fleischner 501-262-1198 fleischnerp@gmail.com David Kirsch 281-458-2655 dayno90@hotmail.com Jerry Tanenbaum, ARZA-World Union 501-262-9770 jerryhotsprings@usa.net Stuart Fleischner, Immediate Past President 501-617-1761 toothshucker@hotmail.com Jan 5 Jan 12 Jan 19 Jan 26 Thank you to the following for sponsoring an Oneg during the month of January: Sharon Ball Jerry Tanenbaum Mark and Patti Fleischner Louis and Betty Kleinman David and Karen Reagler Anthony and Sherrill Nicolosi Jerry and Fran Rephan Cynthia Rephan Reminder: If you are scheduled for an upcoming Oneg and need to change dates, please find someone to switch with and then let Ruth Sedler know so the information printed in the bulletin will be correct. Refuah Shelemah The following people are in our thoughts and prayers: Angie Tollefson Louis Kleinman JoAnne Reagler Ken Baim Rabbi Mark Miller Imy Marcus Robert Burns Sherrill Nicolosi Please offer prayers that they all have a full and speedy recovery. If you are aware of anyone needing spiritual or any sort of assistance, please let Barbara Morgan know. Our Caring Committee is here to help all of our members in any way we possibly can. Page 6
January Yahrzeits Kaddish Recited January 5 David Wigderson Father of Ellen Eubanks Father of Sue Koppel Percy Creim Uncle of Joanne Reagler Ruth Gerber Mother of Elaine Gartenberg Sam Karnofsky Uncle of Joanne Reagler Mona Goltz Grandfather of Diane Goltz Grandfather of Susan Siegel Bernard J. Tanenbaum, Sr. Father of Jerry Tanenbaum Walter Kleinman Father of Louis Kleinman Jason Kandel Cousin of Mary Klompus Katie Fielschmidt Aunt of Fred Korngut Kaddish Recited January 12 Harry Sedler Father of Ross Sedler Martin Fleischner Father of Mark Fleischner Father of Stuart Fleischner Condolences Our heartfelt condolences are offered to the family of Barbara Schlesinger, who passed away in December. May her memory be for a blessing. Kaddish Recited January 19 David Reagler Husband of Joanne Reagler Father of David D. Reagler Father of Rachel Schulman Dorothy Savel Grandmother of David Cohen Eric B. Wolken Brother of Brad Wolken Ida Cooper Ruskin Mother of Phyllis Hearn Pauline Brown Aunt of Betty Forshberg Ellen Rabinowitz Bettis Grandmother of Betty Feir Lois Ginsburg Mother of Millie Baron Norma Mendel Wife of Lenny Mendel Kaddish Recited January 26 Beatrice Zibrack Mother of Sharon Ball Fanny Fielschmidt Grandmother of Fred Korngut Elsa Greenwald Mother of Jodi Chalmers William Holtzmann Father-in-law of Fred Korngut Paul Forshberg Husband of Betty Forshberg Caroline Suhl Grandmother of Michael Waxler George Z. Ginsburg Grandfather of Millie Baron Leslie Leviton Brother-in-law of Joanne Reagler Sarah S. Levine Grandmother of Cynthia Rephan Page 7
Weekly Parshah January Sh mot January 6, 2018 The Children of Israel multiply in Egypt. Threatened by their growing numbers, Pharaoh enslaves them and orders the Hebrew midwives, Shifrah and Puah, to kill all male babies at birth. When they do not comply, he commands his people to cast the Hebrew babies into the Nile. A child is born to Jocheved, the daughter of Levi, and her husband, Amram, and placed in a basket on the river, while the baby s sister, Miriam, stands watch from afar. Pharaoh s daughter discovers the boy, raises him as her son, and names him Moses. G-d appears to Moses in a burning bush at the foot of Mount Sinai and instructs him to go to Pharaoh and demand: Let My people go, so that they may serve Me. Moses brother, Aaron, is appointed to serve as his spokesman. Va-eira January 13, 2018 G-d reveals Himself to Moses. He promises to take out the Children of Israel from Egypt, deliver them from their enslavement, redeem them and acquire them as His own chosen people at Mount Sinai; He will then bring them to the Land He promised to the Patriarchs as their eternal heritage. Moses and Aaron repeatedly come before Pharaoh to demand Let My people go, Pharaoh repeatedly refuses. G-d then sends a series of plagues upon the Egyptians. The waters of the Nile turn to blood; swarms of frogs overrun the land; lice infest all men and beasts. Hordes of wild animals invade the cities, a pestilence kills the domestic animals, painful boils afflict the Egyptians. For the seventh plague, fire Page 8 and ice combine to descend from the skies as a devastating hail. Bo January 20, 2018 The last three of the Ten Plagues are visited on Egypt: a swarm of locusts devours all the crops and greenery; a thick, palpable darkness envelops the land; and all the firstborn of Egypt are killed at the stroke of midnight of the 15th of the month of Nissan. The death of the firstborn finally breaks Pharaoh s resistance and he literally drives the Children of Israel from his land. Before they go, they ask their Egyptian neighbors for gold, silver and garments, draining Egypt of its wealth. The Children of Israel are commanded to observe the anniversary of the Exodus each year by removing all leaven from their possession for seven days, eating matzah, and telling the story of their redemption to their children. B shalach January 27, 2018 Soon after allowing the Children of Israel to depart from Egypt, Pharaoh chases after them to force their return, and the Israelites find themselves trapped between Pharaoh s armies and the sea. G-d tells Moses to raise his staff over the water; the sea splits to allow the Israelites to pass through, and then closes over the pursuing Egyptians. In the desert, the people suffer thirst and hunger and repeatedly complain to Moses and Aaron. G-d miraculously sweetens the bitter waters of Marah, and later has Moses bring forth water from a rock by striking it with his staff; He causes manna to rain down from the heavens before dawn each morning, and quails to appear in the Israelite camp each evening. To read more complete descriptions of the weekly parsha, visit the CHI Website at http://hschi.org/parsha_lp.html